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Letter written by Rush P. Cady, lieutenant in the 97th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his sister, Eliza, from Headquarters 97th N.Y.V. near Purcellville, Virginia, November 1, 1862

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Letter written by Rush P. Cady, lieutenant in the 97th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, from Headquarters 97th N.Y.V. near Purcellville, Virginia, November 1, 1862, to his sister, Eliza Cady

I should have answered your letter several days ago, but we have been moving a good deal of the time, & I have been so much occupied as not to be able to get an opportunity before now.- Last Sunday, about 1 o'c., we rec'd “marching orders”, at Mercersville (Mercersville, Maryland)
, where we had remained so long. It rained quite hard all day & all night, so that it became quite muddy, & marching with heavy knapsacks, through the mud & rain, till 9 o'c. at night, & then having to stand up around the camp fires all night, without any shelter from the rain, as nearly all of the men did, you can well imagine was worthy to be called “hardship”.- I was so fortunate as to have a rubber coat (& Gustavus (Palmer, Gustavus M.
(Captain)) too) which afforded considerable protection. We got into a shed that night, about 11o'c. & lay upon some straw (which is a great lux-

Not far from the river, we came to Lovettsville (Lovettsville, Virginia)
, where there were a good many solders, & the women waved the “stars & stripes”. We marched about 6 miles, to within 3 miles of Waterford, Virginia, where our Division encamped in an immense field & piece of woods.- Here – yesterday – the last day of the month – all the troops were “mustered for pay”, & the Muster & Pay Rolls made out, so as to be sent on to Washington (Washington, District of Columbia)
promptly, in order that we may be paid off as soon as possible; there being now – four months pay due us.- About 3 o'c. in the afternoon, after finishing the Pay Rolls,
Gustavus (Palmer, Gustavus M. (Captain)) & I started off together for a walk, stopping at two or three farm houses,- at one house remaining awhile, & getting some apples